Russia
says it cannot accept US peace plan for Ukraine ‘in its current form’
Moscow’s
refusal highlights the limited progress Donald Trump has made on his promise to
end the war
Pjotr Sauer
Tue 1 Apr
2025 16.57 BST
Moscow has
described the latest US peace proposals as unacceptable to the Kremlin,
highlighting the limited progress Donald Trump has made on his promise to end
the war in Ukraine since taking office in January.
Sergei
Ryabkov, a foreign policy adviser to Vladimir Putin, said some of Russia’s key
demands were not being addressed by the US proposals to end the war, in
comments that marked a rare acknowledgment from the Russian side that talks
with the US over Ukraine had stalled in recent weeks.
“We take the
models and solutions proposed by the Americans very seriously, but we can’t
accept it all in its current form,” Ryabkov was quoted by state media as
telling the Russian magazine International Affairs. It came after Trump on
Sunday revealed his frustration with Putin, saying he was “pissed off” and
threatening to impose tariffs on Russian oil exports.
“All we have
today is an attempt to find some kind of framework that would first allow for a
ceasefire – at least as envisioned by the Americans,” Ryabkov said.
“As far as
we can see, there is no place in them today for our main demand, namely to
solve the problems related to the root causes of this conflict.”
Putin has
repeatedly referred to what he claimed were the “root causes” of the conflict
to justify his hardline position on any prospective deal to end the war in
Ukraine.
As
preconditions for a ceasefire, the Russian leader has insisted on terms that
would, in effect, dismantle Ukraine as an independent, functioning state –
pulling it firmly into Russia’s sphere of influence.
He has
demanded that Kyiv recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea and four partly
occupied regions in the south-east, withdraw its forces from those areas,
pledge never to join Nato, and agree to demilitarisation.
In recent
weeks the Russian president has also been openly pushing for regime change in
Ukraine, claiming that Volodymyr Zelenskyy lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace
deal and suggesting that Ukraine needs external governance.
Trump
appears to be growing increasingly impatient with his lack of progress in a war
that he promised to end in 24 hours, expressing frustration with Russian and
Ukrainian leaders as he struggles to forge a truce.
Trump’s
comment that he was “pissed off” with Putin over the Russian leader’s approach
to a potential ceasefire in Ukraine was a noticeable shift in tone from a
leader who had previously expressed admiration for Putin. However, Trump later
dialled back his rhetoric and by Monday was accusing Ukraine of trying to
renegotiate an economic deal with the US.
The White
House on Tuesday said Trump was frustrated with leaders on both sides of the
war.
Despite a
flurry of US-brokered meetings and parallel talks with Russia and Ukraine in
Saudi Arabia that produced – on paper – a 30-day energy ceasefire, both sides
have continued to strike each other’s energy infrastructure.
The Trump
administration also attempted to broker a ceasefire in the Black Sea, but
Moscow sought to attach several conditions to the deal, including the easing of
European sanctions, a demand swiftly rejected by Brussels.
Grigory
Karasin, who represented Russia at the talks with the US in Saudi Arabia, last
week admitted that the sides had failed to make significant progress and that
negotiations may drag into next year.
But Trump’s
team has said it remains committed to halting the war, with the US leader
telling NBC he and Putin planned to speak again this week.
The Finnish
president, Alexander Stubb, who spent time with Trump over the weekend, said he
proposed setting a deadline of 20 April for Putin to comply with a full
ceasefire.
However,
those close to the Kremlin believe Moscow is unlikely to accept a full
ceasefire without securing some of its demands, which include the cessation of
all arms and intelligence supplies to Ukraine from the US and other allies.
“We’re
prepared to keep fighting for some time,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, a prominent
Russian foreign policy analyst who heads a council that advises the Kremlin.
“The continuation of the war, which we are slowly but surely winning, is in our
interest. Especially considering that the main sponsor [the US] seems to be
backing out … Why should we rush in a situation like this?”
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